One Nation will be able to use the independent NSW Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) to cost its election policies ahead of the March 2027 state election, following amendments passed by NSW Parliament.
The changes place One Nation under broadly the same election costing arrangements as Labor and the Liberal-National Coalition for the 2027 campaign.
Unlimited Costing Requests for Major Election Platforms
Under the amended framework, the leaders of Labor, the Coalition and One Nation will be able to submit an unlimited number of election policies to the PBO for independent costing.
The Parliamentary Budget Officer will also prepare a Budget Impact Statement for each of the three political groupings before voting begins.
These statements assess the combined financial effect of election commitments on the NSW Budget.
The PBO does not assess whether a policy is desirable or politically preferable. Its role is to examine the expected financial impact using information supplied by parties and NSW Government agencies.
Minor Parties and Independents Also Gain Access
The wider PBO framework also allows eligible minor parties and sitting independent MPs facing election to request costings for up to two policies each.
That access was introduced through earlier reforms in 2026.
One Nation had previously been unable to request any PBO costing because it currently has no members in NSW Parliament. The latest amendment temporarily expands the definition of a parliamentary leader so that the NSW One Nation leader can participate in the full election costing process for 2027.
Arrangement Applies to 2027 Election
The One Nation provisions are specifically designed for the 2027 NSW state election and are scheduled to expire after the election.
The PBO’s post-election review will then consider how the expanded arrangements operated and whether further changes should be made for future elections.
The legislation also makes separate changes allowing NSW Government agencies to share information with each other when responding to PBO requests, where authorised by the Parliamentary Budget Officer.
This is intended to support more timely and detailed policy costings where information is held across multiple agencies.
Michael Warlters Appointed Parliamentary Budget Officer
Economist Dr Michael Warlters has been appointed Parliamentary Budget Officer for the 2027 election period.
He began the role on 18 August 2026 and has more than 35 years of experience across areas including infrastructure, revenue forecasting and macroeconomic policy.
The PBO has already opened its 2027 election process, with election policy costings and related documents to be published through the NSW Parliament as the campaign progresses.
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